Will Smith exits Legendary’s sci-fi thriller Brilliance

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Earlier this year we shared the news that Will Smith was in talks to star in Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures’ potential tentpole BRILLIANCE, which is to be helmed by director Julius Onah and based on the Marcus Sakey novel and has a script by David Koepp. We later learned that Smith had signed on to star alongside PROMETHEUS star Noomi Rapace, with production set to begin this summer. Now we've learned that the INDEPENDENCE DAY and AFTER EARTH star has bowed out of the production.

Deadline is reporting that Smith has exited BRILLIANCE due to scheduling conflicts as Smith also headlining Warner Bros’ grifter tale FOCUS, set for release on Februatry 27. Legendary had hoped to start lensing BRILLIANCE in August.

Set in a world where some people called “brilliants” are born with heightened cognitive abilities, the story follows a federal agent whose extraordinary gift makes him exceptional at hunting terrorists. Here's the official synopsis of the book:

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people’s darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They’re called “brilliants,” and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in—and betray his own kind.

Not so sure that this was a brilliant move by Smith. BRILLIANCE sounds like quite the intriguing project. I was already disappointed with his decision to not take part in the INDEPENDENCE DAY sequel, and BRILLIANCE sounds like the kind of project that could have potentially been a big hit for the actor. I would've like to see him get jiggy with BRILLIANCE, but alas it is not to be.

Joe Roth, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce. Palak Patel, Eric McLeod and Alex Hedlund will serve as executive producers. Universal will distribute as part of its first-look deal with Legendary.

BRILLIANCE star Noomi Rapace